1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming a synthesized image which is capable of combining a plurality of images and outputting a resultant synthesized image to an image display device or a printer, or of storing it in a memory unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, various methods of combining a plurality of images and outputting the results have been proposed. Image synthesis or the multiplex output of a plurality of images to one picture screen has been commonly practiced lately in a wide range of areas, including high-performance workstation and home-use personal computers.
With conventional methods, when a plurality of images, e.g., two images, are combined and output from an output device such as a display device, overlapped parts of the synthesized image are each selectively constituted by the part representing the most significant image, i.e., it is impossible to leave a space for a subordinate image in the overlapping part and see it through that space.